Caffeinated and Inked!

We all have our weaknesses, I guess. Mine are pretty obvious! Most of them end up on my waistline or on my blouse or both!

I think I should own stock in Starbucks and some ink company! Starbucks ... ahh home of the triple grande, up side down, iced carmel macchiato ... this is the culprit that ends up on my waist and sometimes on my blouse! :)

 Luckily, my crafting addiction only results in the occasional ink line across my shirt. It's happened twice just this week! I leave an ink pad open and reach across the table to grab another acrylic block or something and the next thing I know I am on an assignment with a Deaf person who can't seem to keep their eyes off of my bossoms! That's when it occurs to me! I have either dribbled my coffee down my blouse on the way here OR I have a pretty ink line from that quick card that I made before I ran out of the house! Or BOTH!  I think the only remedy to this situation is to install a full length mirror at the exit of the craft room or to hang the car keys from a mirror on the way out of the house! :)

Not drinking coffee or not crafting.... just not an option!

*Jos*

This card is being entered into the following challenge:

Card Positioning Systems - Sketch #237 

Bridgitte's Blog Candy!

Bridgette is celebrating a year! AND she is celebrating with style!!!! She is giving away a $50 gift voucher to Simon Says Stamps! This is what she says on her blog...

Since it's a special occasion, I have something to give.  I will draw a $50 US gift certificate from Simon Says Stamps!  The only rule is to be a follower and leave a comment under this post.  If you want an extra chance, you can put a post on your blog about my blog candy.  Just let me know in your comment.  The deadline is Friday the 7 Oct at midnight Eastern time.




Be sure and go by there and help her celebrate!


*Jos*

The Cat's Meow

Two things in life are just irresistible .... kittens and Halloween! Ok, Ok, so there are three things... kittens, Halloween & chocolate! :) That is what made this Mo Manning design too darn cute to pass up!

So this card was made while our own little fur babies, Boomer and Bizzy, milled around at our feet and jumped up onto the crafting table just to check things out.... or to take a nap.... or to bathe.... or to chase the ribbon!

*Jos*

I plan to enter this card into the following challenges:

The Paper Players - Challenge #65 - "Ann Marie's Sketch"

Simon Says Stamps - Anything Goes

Repeat Impressions - DCC 928 - Designer's Choice Challenge

I Won! I Won!

Yaaaaay! My "Cheers!" card was picked one of the top 5 over at Just Us Girls! WOOT WOOT!

Thank you so much to the Design Team ladies for stopping in and leaving such encouraging and wonderful comments! :)

Hugs to the JUGS!

*Jos*

Rock On!

We took our first cruise in 2010 and it was fabulous! I was working in a school at the time and had a week off during spring and we thought it would be wonderful to take a cruise.  So we booked our cabin and traveled to Florida to catch our boat.  It never occurred to me that the week that we were out of school is what is referred to as SPRING BREAK! What was I thinking?  So... we boarded the beautiful ship with about 1300 Spring Breakers!

The cruise was incredible and we had an awesome time! For most of the week, we didn't even realize that the boat was filled with teenagers... the napkin folding classes, 80's trivia game, 70's karaoke night, and the casino were mostly empty.  The BINGO games were even very relaxing! What were these kids doing the whole time? They were missing all of the fun for sure! Anyway, we won 3 out of the 4 on board bingo games, won cash prizes and some lovely size medium Royal Bingo tee shirts.  We tried squeezing the MEDIUM-sized shirts on our XXX torsos and laughed hysterically. in the privacy of our little cabin of course.  We also hit a nice jackpot at the Atlantis Casino. We had such an incredible time that when we returned to land and arrived home we went and booked our next cruise!

We asked the booking agent to book us on board with a cruise line with a little more "mature" crowd. She did just that and in December of that same year, we headed back to Florida and set sail once again! Just like last time, I realized immediately we may have over looked something.  We felt very comfortable with the group and enjoyed their company very much; however, this older, richer crowd LIVED in the casino constantly... showed up to every karaoke, whipped our tales at 60's and 70's trivia, and never missed a game of Bingo! :)

These "Hover Rounders" drove around with mixed drinks sloshing around in their one hand and steering with the other! We had a blast listening to "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, EVERY night, and by several different ladies! It was then and there that we determined when we are eighty-something and singing karaoke, we will be like this card ... singing a Meatloaf song like we don't care who is listening and we won't hear them laughing at us any way! Rock On!

*Jos*

I love this stamp from La Pashe called, "Bat Outta Hell."

I colored it with Prisma colored pencils and blinged it up a little some stickler and embellishments. 

This card will be entered into the following challenges:

Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog - "Anything Goes at Sweet Stampin"

Prairie Fairy Friday's - Challenge #62 - "Pink & Distressed"

The Bigger ... The Better!

Every year around the middle of September we start looking for the local Farmer's Market to pop up with rows and rows of pumpkins and gorgeous mums! Sometimes they run a week or so late setting up and we fret about them not showing up this season, but with out fail they pop up with pumpkins in more shapes and sizes than we remember from the previous year and in colors as varied and vibrant as ever!

So this weekend, while the temperatures are feeling seasonal and cool we are going to go to the market and pull our little red wagons around and fill them pumpkins and gourds and corn stalks and mums!  We normally try to be reasonable about the size of our pumpkins ... sometimes we fail miserably and end up with a ridiculously big pumpkin that sticks out like a sore thumb when we set up our little display in the yard! Oh well... there are those times when bigger is definitely better!

~Michele~

This is a Mo Manning Digital Stamp called, "The Big One." I colored this cutie with Copic markers.

This card will be entered into the following challenges:

Mo's Challenge Blog - Challenge #101 - "Autumn Colors"

Bling It On - Challenge #7 - "Weaving"

Delightful Sketches - "Happy Fall Y'all"

Crafting For All Seasons - Challenge #10 - "Fall Colors"

Crafts 4 Eternity - Recipe #38 - "Autumn Days"

Crafty Catz - Challenge #101 - "Autumn"

Just Some Lines - "Fall Color Challenge"

Paper Pretties Monday Challenge - "Fall Inspired"

A Million Mile Hug

My phone rang Sunday morning and the caller ID let me know that it was Kim, the mother of my beautiful niece Savannah and my twin niece and nephew Haylee and Wesley.  They live in the gorgeous state of Alaska and most of the time it feels like a million miles away from North Carolina, but sometimes when they call and I hear their sweet little voices on the phone, it feels as though they are right next to me! I answered the call in anticipation of one of those moments, but one of those moments didn't happen. Instead I heard Kim's voice trembling and obviously crying, my heart sank to my toes, and I told her to take her time and tell me what was wrong.  When she could finally get it out, she told me that her mother had passed away. My heart remained sunken and I was speechless. I hated the million miles between us and I hated the phone ... what I wanted was to be able to wrap my arms around her and cry with her!

Colleen VanHatten was a lovely woman! She was an incredible mother and extraordinary grandmother! I know that the loss that her family will be feeling can only be mended by thoughts, prayers and time. May your heart be filled with peace, your soul filled with hope for a reunion, your mind filled with memories, and your arms filled with the blessings of the future!

Hugs and Love!
~Michele~

This stamp set is from Stampendous, it is called "Flutterfly Friends Perfectly Clear Stamps."

I colored the images with Copic markers on X-Pressit paper and mounted on Hibiscus Burst 

and Aqua Mist Perfect Match Paper from PaperTrey Ink.

I used Viva Decor to embellish and add a little pizazz to the black.

This card is being entered into the following challenges:

Card Makin' Mama's - Punchy Challenge

Craft Us Crazy - Challenge #17 - "Good Bye to Summer"

Phindy's Friday Challenge Blog - Challenge #73

Do You Stack Up? - Challenge #38 - "Duo"

Bugaboo Stamps - Catch the Bug - Sketch & Color Challenge

Slow Down!

If I could give my younger self one piece of advice it would be to slow down and enjoy life! To do the things that you want to do, while you are young enough and still dumb enough to do them! What's the rush? Enjoy the moment while you are in the moment!

*Jos*

 This cute little turtle was a free download from,
 Digital Doodling called, "Sleepy Toto the Turtle."

 I colored him with Prisma colored pencils.

This card is being entered into the following challenges:

One Stop Craft Challenge - Week #150 "Easel Cards"

Stamp Insanity Challenge #76 - "Photo au Mojo"

These cool pictures were the inspiration.

Paper Cutz Challenge #110 - "Button Up For Fall"

Fussy & Fancy Challenge - "Try a New Technique"

This is my first easel card!

Stampin' For The Weekend - "What a Cutie!"

Another Mystery Solved!

Aren't scarecrows supposed to SCARE crows away???

Why is it that every time you see a scarecrow there is always a crow right there? Not only that, but the scarecrow seems pleased and happy that the old crow is around! I can't say that I blame him! Who wants to be stuck in a field all alone with mice and all kinds vermin running about around you? Can you imagine the stories those scarecrows could tell if only someone would listen! ... Some one IS listening, there is always something to CROW about! :) Ah Ha! Another mystery solved!

*Jos*

This is a Great Impressions wood mounted stamp. 

I colored it with Prisma colored pencils.

This card is being entered into the following challenges:

Tuesday Throwdown #67 - "Fall"

The Play Date Cafe - Challenge 100

This was their inspiration for color this week... Gorgeous, huh?

4 Crafty Chicks - Challenge #56  "Celebrating Fall"

Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Challenge #16

Card Cupids Challenge #38 - "Fall Theme"

Colorless Me

I love color! I had no idea how much I loved color until I was challenged not to use it!

It's a very odd thing for me, I consider myself very much a black and white kind of person.  There is right and wrong, good and bad, yin and yang, yes and no, it's all very black and white to me, no shades of gray there.

Then I look around my world, the things that I surround myself with, FULL of color! That is the place that I go to when I am using my Copic markers. I very rarely use that black and white side of my personality when coloring an image, to pull out that serious part of me and attempt to put it into my crafty creative time..... VERY DIFFICULT! I am proud of what came of it!

~Michele~

This is a Mo Manning stamp called,"Flower Girl."

She is colored with Copic Sketch markers.

This card is being entered into the following challenges:

The Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge - Sketch #127

Little Claire's Challenge #13 - Black & White Theme

Color Me Creative - "Olde Tyme Photo" Challenge

Bearly Mine Challenge #19 - "Button it Up"

Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #19 - "A Hard Theme"

Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Challenge #50